Walking with the Ghost
by Soozen
Summary: Kyouya pulls Haruhi aside one day, with something very important to tell her.


"_I was walking with the ghost  
__I said, 'Please, please don't insist…'"  
_-Walking with the Ghost by Tegan and Sara

* * *

It was a free study period and, as the rest of the school was noisily occupying the several libraries, Haruhi had decided that the best place for her to go to get any studying done was the courtyard, which was surprisingly always vacant. It was finally warm enough to go outside; the snow had melted as the spring months settled in, leaving for sunny weather with a light wind. Perfect weather for her to settle by one of the fountains and study her physics. Months ago, she'd have gone to the third music room, but now, she avoided it like the plague.

The Hitachiin twins were walking on either side of her, talking about one thing or another. Haruhi wasn't paying much attention; she was trying to decide if physics was the best class to study for. Perhaps it would be wiser to crack open her history text. She only hoped that Hikaru and Kaoru wouldn't stay in the courtyard with her. As much as she enjoyed their company, they became very irritating very quickly, not to mention they'd only distract her from her studying.

They rounded a corner, Haruhi still barely listening to them, only nodding at the right place with a grunt here and there.

"Haruhi."

She paused; it hadn't been one of the twins who'd said her name, but instead it came from behind her. She turned around, the fact that the twins had stiffened considerably just barely registering. When she saw who it was who'd called her name, she understood why they had stiffened. The last person she wanted to run into was in front of her, walking calmly and coolly towards her: Kyouya Ootori, her ex-boyfriend.

Yes; her _ex_-boyfriend.

Haruhi and Kyouya had dated for over a year, their relationship having ended only a few months ago. It had started near the end of Haruhi's freshman year, when Kyouya had asked her to stay after one day once the Host Club had finished. It had been a very sudden thing, when Kyouya impulsively (possibly the only impulsive thing he'd ever done in his entire life) had kissed her. Ever since then, they'd been together; that is, until November of the current school year.

The break up had been sudden, it had been harsh, and it had ended on very bad terms. Perhaps the reason why it had been such a terrible break up was because Haruhi had been very much in love with Kyouya.

It had been her first relationship and so she hadn't been cautious. She had been open and honest and oh so loving; she'd never imagined that Kyouya would want to break up with her. Everything had been going so wonderfully, everything had been perfect.

And then, Kyouya had done it. He did it cruelly, taking on his awful 'Shadow King' shell. He'd been emotionless the entire time he told her that he could no longer date her, due to the fact that, as he was now in his senior year of high school, he had to start thinking entirely like a true businessman, and true businessmen would not waste their time dating someone out of their own class. He had to have someone of equal status at his side; nothing and no one else would do. In other words, he had to break up with her if he was going to have a chance at becoming the heir to the large Ootori Corporation.

It didn't help that, on top of his superficial reason for breaking up with her and that he had been very cold all while doing so, he hadn't broken up with her in private. No, he'd merely pulled her aside after the Host Club had finished for the day and broke the news to her with the rest of the club less than fifty feet away. Maybe he'd thought that, with other people around, she wouldn't make a scene. He'd been wrong.

Haruhi had been quiet at first, listening to what he'd had to say. She'd done her best to stay in control, merely asking for a better reason for him to break up with her than what he'd said. When none came, she'd begged him (for only a moment or so) to change his mind, as she started to cry. And then she got louder, yelling at him, telling him he wasn't being fair to her. Kyouya had stayed as calm and cool as ever, simply telling her that life didn't tend to be fair and that he was doing what he had to do.

The rest of the club had watched, stunned, as Haruhi slowly broke down while Kyouya merely walked out of the room. They'd comforted her (Tamaki mostly) as best as they could after Kyouya had left.

Haruhi had been crushed, to put it simply. Tamaki let her take time off from the Host Club to give her time away from Kyouya, to heal. It hadn't helped; the day she went back to the Host Club to pay off her debt, she and Kyouya had argued rather loudly in front of the guests until Haruhi had stormed out in tears.

The day after, Honey, Mori, and the twins approached her, and told her that, if she didn't want to, she didn't have to go to the Host Club anymore; the four of them had pitched in and paid off the remainder of her debt.

She never did go back to the Host Club, and had avoided running into Kyouya at all costs. Kyouya seemingly had the same idea, and so they never ended up crossing paths.

So, Haruhi was very surprised that he was walking towards her.

"Haruhi," Kyouya said, stopping several feet from her. "I need to speak with you."

She swallowed, trying to remain as calm as she'd been before. The truth was, she still liked Kyouya, and it hurt to be around him. "About what?" She hoped her voice had remained as even as she thought it sounded.

"I have a few things of yours that I thought you'd might like back."

"Oh, okay then." Haruhi waited.

"They're in my locker," Kyouya said after a minute. He adjusted his glasses.

"Oh, right." She blushed a little at her stupidity. Kyouya didn't even have a bag with him; how could he be carrying any of her belongings? "Let's get them, then."

Kyouya nodded, and started walking in the opposite direction. Before she could start following him, Hikaru leaned closer and said softly, "Are you going to be okay, Haruhi?"

Haruhi nodded. The twins friendship with Kyouya had been damaged greatly once she had broken up with him. Haruhi assumed it was because they'd ended on bad terms, and since the twins were closer with her, they'd felt as though they needed to take her side and had thus closed themselves off to him. "I'll be fine."

"We'll be in the art room," Koaru added, "if you need us."

She nodded again, and headed off after Kyouya.

It only took a moment to get to Kyouya's locker. He was all ready opening it up when she reached it. Haruhi was silent as he pulled two books out and handed them to her. They were just novels, fiction she'd read on her own for fun. Haruhi slipped them into her schoolbag.

"Here." He placed another object into her hand; a small black velvet box.

Haruhi stared at the box and then at Kyouya. She didn't own any fine jewelry, nor had Kyouya ever bought her any. "This isn't mine."

"It's an apology," Kyouya said smoothly and without looking at her, shutting his locker. "For how I broke up with you."

Still eyeing him, Haruhi opened the box. Inside was a delicate silver ring with a modestly sized emerald. While they were dating, Haruhi had confessed that, while she didn't like jewelry too much, she loved emeralds.

"I accept your apology," Haruhi said and snapped the box shut. "But I can't accept the ring." She held it out for him to take back.

Kyouya didn't. "I broke up with you the worst way possible, and I'm sorry for it. I couldn't have been more unfair to you. This is to make up for that."

"I told you that I accept your apology, but I can't take the ring. It's too much. So please, take it back." She kept her hand held out, waiting for him to take it from her.

"Accept it," Kyouya said, stepping closer and gently pushing the hand that held the box back to her. He was much closer now, and the way he was still holding her hand was making Haruhi wonder what, exactly, he had in mind.

"Accept my apology and the ring," he said. "I know I made a mistake, Haruhi."

Haruhi swallowed. Was he saying what she thought he was…? "What kind of a mistake?"

"I shouldn't have broken up with you."

Haruhi's heart skipped a beat. For weeks after the break up, she'd imagined him coming back to her, apologizing, and now it was happening. She'd wanted this for so long, but…then, something was speaking up in the back of her mind, telling her _no_. He had been absolutely awful when he'd broken up with her; she'd seen an ugly side of him that she hadn't known was there. What if he did the same to her again, hurt her again?

Haruhi took a step back. "Kyouya, stop."

He didn't. He stepped forward with her, and touched her hair gently. "Take me back, Haruhi."

Alarms were going off in Haruhi's head. This was all wrong, the way he was acting, the words he was saying and how he was saying them. This…this wasn't the way Kyouya acted; he was blunter, not as graceful, not like this. This was how Kyouya acted with the girls that designated him at the Host Club.

Haruhi narrowed her eyes. "Stop acting," she snapped. "I know you, Kyouya. You'd never say that. What do you want?"

Kyouya sighed, pushing his glasses back so that the light reflected off of them, keeping Haruhi from seeing his eyes. "You know I'm not good at apologizing. I'm not good at begging; I don't beg. But, I do regret breaking up with you, and I want you back."

"After the way you broke up with me, you expect me to just be your girlfriend again?"

"I know what I did was mean-"

"You were a downright bastard."

"-but it's all forgiven. You said so yourself; you forgive me for doing…that."

"Forgiven, but not forgotten," Haruhi snapped back. "I could never date you, Kyouya. Not after what you did."

"I won't beg," Kyouya said flatly.

"Good." She shoved the box at his chest, turned and walked away. She heard him sputtering slightly for a moment, and then his footsteps as he followed her.

"Haruhi-"

"Stop it, Kyouya," she hissed. God, she did not want to go through with all this. It was hard, so very hard, to turn Kyouya down, but she knew it was all for the best.

"Haruhi, I won't do that again-" He grabbed her arm and she spun around, facing him.

"Because I won't date you again! Don't ask me anymore!" She was practically shouting.

"Calm down," Kyouya said, his tone gentler. "Calm down, and listen to me."

Haruhi gritted her teeth, but said nothing, folding her arms across her chest.

"I said it earlier, I made a mistake, a huge mistake. I still- I still love you." He seemed to be having a hard time admitting that, but that was just his personality. He always worked so hard to keep up the façade that he was all business, so Haruhi gave him credit for letting it down in public for once. "I didn't want to break up with you, but it was necessary to secure my future. But, it turns out my father _likes_ you, Haruhi. It's all right for me to date you now." He put his hand on her shoulder, as he bent low. "And…I want to."

He kissed her softly, before she could object. And, it felt wonderful, it felt so good to kiss him again, to have him pull her closer. She wanted nothing more than to just stay like this-

But then, that little voice in the back of her head piped up once more, screaming at her to stop, that Kyouya had selfishly broken her heart only a few months again. She pushed him away.

"Wait, wait," she said, taking a step back. She wasn't sure what she was going to say next, she just knew she had to break the kiss.

"It's all right. I have his blessing, Haruhi." He leaned in to kiss her again.

That did it. She pushed him back once more, angry again. "And if you lose 'his blessing' again, I'll be dumped just like before."

"Haruhi, please-"

"No! No, just stop it, Kyouya! Just stop! Don't ask me again, don't insist! We're through, and I will never date you again. So just stop!" She glared at him angrily.

Kyouya stood still for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But don't expect me to ask you again."

"I won't." Haruhi adjusted her bag. "Goodbye."

He merely nodded again, and began walking in the opposite direction. Haruhi let out a big sigh, and walked to the art wing.

Hikaru and Kaoru were in the first classroom she reached; they were working on one project or another together, but looked up when Haruhi opened the door. They immediately went over to her, before she could come into the room and closed the door behind themselves.

"Is everything okay?" Koaru asked gently.

Haruhi nodded, then burst into tears. Instantaneously, two pairs of arms were wrapped around her, her face against one of the twin's chests. They didn't ask what had happened; they just stood there, and let Haruhi cry against them.

And it was just what Haruhi needed.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this fic. I wanted to write something a little different; most Kyouya/Haruhi fics deal with them being in love and happy and in love and blah blah blah. I decided it was time to have them deal with a harsh break up.

Please leave constructive criticisms.


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